WWE Crown Jewel is officially underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the big premium live event kicked off with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. Seth “Freaking” Rollins, adorned with an audacious red robe with gigantic shoulder pads, was the first man through the curtain. His opponent was Drew McIntyre, who carried the WWE product through the pandemic. He has been looking for a world title win moment in front of actual pro wrestling fans, not just HD screen versions of them.
The two men went back and forth for much of the match, with neither able to gain a noticeable edge. However, things took a turn following a suicide dive by Rollins to McIntyre on the outside, which saw the champion gripping his lower back after landing. Rollins’ back was the focal point of his feud with Shinsuke Nakamura. The former NJPW star made it known that The Architect had secretly been dealing with back issues for some time. With Rollins’ back giving out, McIntyre capitalized by hitting him with a spinebuster into the steel steps. He followed up by dropping him back first onto the ring apron with a side suplex.
Rollins eventually rallied following the onslaught and pulled off a Stomp out of nowhere, but it was not enough to keep McIntyre down. The Messiah attempted to follow up on the Stomp with a Phoenix Splash, but McIntyre moved out of the way. He then capitalized on the opportunity by hitting a Claymore Kick, which was not enough to end the bout. After one more series of back-and-forth offensive maneuvers, Rollins hit one last Stomp, dashing McIntyre’s hopes of a victory.
Following the match, The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest’s music hit, and Senor Money In The Bank rushed to ringside. Priest handed the referee the briefcase and made it known he was cashing in. However, moments before the bell could ring, a hooded figure snuck up behind him and smashed him into the ring post. After laying out Priest, the hooded person revealed themself to be Sami Zayn. Zayn then quickly took off through the crowd as The Judgment Day’s big man sprinted after him.
Backstage, McIntyre could be seen taking in his latest world title loss as Rhea Ripley grinned at him and walked away. McIntyre joining The Judgment Day continues to be teased and will likely be a talking point Monday night on WWE Raw.